10 HIV/AIDS Stories That Defined 2011 in the US

By Rod McCullomFrom TheBody.com

December 1, 2011

4/11

The PrEP Debate

Taking a daily pill to reduce HIV risk -- better known as pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP -- remains one of the most exciting biomedical prevention strategies on the horizon. Daily use of some antiretrovirals has shown up to 73% efficacy in preventing HIV transmission among men who have sex with men (MSM). San Francisco will soon become the first city in the nation to offer PrEP to MSM.

Still, PrEP is a polarizing topic. Depending upon whom you ask, it's often described as either a "magic bullet" or an unrealistic, "boutique" intervention. And questions abound, such as: Who will pay for it? And what are the health consequences of placing HIV-negative people on HIV medications they don't really need?

Rod McCullom has written and produced for ABC News and NBC, and has reported for Ebony, The Advocate, Colorlines, the Black AIDS Institute and others. Rod blogs on politics, pop culture and black gay news at rod20.com.

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